True Crime-o-Ween

Happy Saturday, everyone! We are *not* horror people or generally into spooky halloween stories…But we are total nerds for all things true crime. And true crime is scary so that’s Halloween-ish, right? Let’s all pretend so we can share our favorite true crime podcasts and documentaries with you.

Podcasts

My Favorite Murder – Karen and Georgia are both comedians who are obsessed with true crime. These two are hysterical and somehow make talking about murder really entertaining and fun. This one is not super in-depth and they cover multiple murders per episode, so it’s perfect if you aren’t one for all of the gory details. Plus, they have cats running free in their “studio” at all times.

Favorite Episode: Nineteen Kills and Counting – Episode 19

True Crime Garage – Hosted by two bros who like to sit around, drink beer, and take a dive into new cases each week. One of the hosts is absolutely pointless but adds some colorful commentary and comedy to it that makes them stand out.

Favorite Episode: Casey Anthony – Episodes 101 – 104

Sword and Scale – I love this one because it includes primary sources like 911 calls, interviews, interrogation tapes, etc that tell a fuller story. Beware though this one is brutal brutal brutal.

Favorite Episode: Episode 112 *Note: This one is brutal*

Casefile – This is hosted by an Australian man who has the world’s most monotone voice but I love him. If you want your true crime told to you in a monotone Thor voice this one’s for you!

Favorite Episode: Case 76: The Silk Road (Part 1)

Dirty John – If you want a WTF how did this happen moment, then look no further. A successful woman is targeted by a gold-digging “doctor” and her children are out to figure out who this John guy is. While this is a slow build over a few episodes, the ending will not disappoint. It goes 0-100 in about 5 minutes, so be prepared.

Favorite Episode: The Real Thing

Accused – This podcast is similar to Serial in that it follows a single case throughout one season. I’ve only listened to the first season but the story was really interesting (but brutal) as it explains how a man was wrongfully accused of a murder… Plus, the hosts were fun!

Favorite Episode: Chapter 1: The Crime

Up and Vanished – Another podcast that follows a single case throughout its seasons. I love this one because the case in season one is actually solved as a result of the podcast investigating the case! Season Two has a lot of hippies FYI.

Favorite Episode: Cold as Alaska – Episode 1

Generation Why – I am new to this podcast but I love how these hosts are able to break down complicated stories with factual information and approachable discussions. They’ve been around for a while so this one should keep you occupied for a while!

Favorite Episode: JonBenet Ramsey Case – Episode 129

Real Crime Profile: I’m also new to this one but one host is a retired FBI profiler and they approach their case explanations like a Criminal Minds episodes. All it needs is Derrek Morgan! But really, this is a more procedural and professional insight into true crime.

Favorite Episode: Episode 140 – Her Name Was Kathleen Peterson

Documentaries / Tv Shows

The Jinx – If you want to watch the creepiest man in the entire world look no further. Robert Durst is a real estate heir and all around little rich boy, who marries a gorgeous young girl. A while later his wife disappears. Years after that, his female best friend ALSO disappears. HIs life story was turned into a movie with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst (All Good Things) and the documentary was created after that and by the same producer. If you want to watch a creepy movie and documentary combo, then here it is.

The Staircase – This one covers a frustrating case and a man with eyebrows that give me nightmares. It covers the death of Kathleen Peterson, conviction and trial of her husband, and his eventual freedom from prison. However, this one is pretty biased towards the defendant so I would recommend listening to podcasts about the case as well to get a less biased perspective.

The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey – Everyone has heard of this case, right? But no one knows definitively who killed the little girl. This documentary has experts (including an FBI Profiler, blood analysis experts, etc) take a deep dive back into the evidence and presents their theory on who killed JonBenet.

The Keepers – Okay, hold on to hats folks because this one is a bumpy ride. It starts off with a dead nun and then suddenly takes an even darker turn and look at the Catholic Church. If you can stomach this one, it’s fantastic.

Cold Justice – Two ladies are reopening cold cases and actually solving them? Pure Magic. Kelly Siegler was a Houston prosecutor who now searches out and brings justice to families who didn’t have it before. You never know which cases will make it to trial and which will never be solved, but you will adore these two ass-kicking ladies.

Amanda Knox – I became obsessed with this case, which is a perfect example of how the patriarchy needs to be beat down. Most people know this story, but this documentary gives us the details that we may not have known before. It also shows how influential the media can be on the results of a case. This one has some great interviews with Amanda and Raphael.

Making a Murderer – This was the big Netflix hit that everyone was into. It’s a pretty interesting watch, but make sure to follow up with some podcasts on it because the documentary left out a lot of damning evidence.

The Confession Tapes – This mini-series rocked my world in the first episode. Each one shows how and why the accused confessed and if you have to decide if they were true confessions or coerced. Do not-guilty people confess? Are the interrogators going overboard? Even if you only watch the first episode it’s totally worth it.

Have you watched any of these? Any recommendations? Comment to let us know.

If you like true crime and supernatural you simply must check out BuzzFeed’s Unsloved because it is everything. It airs on YouTube and they cover some truly interesting cases – yes they do an episode on JonBenet Ramsey. But what I’m really there for is the downright hilarious banter. ❤

True crime is defo scarier than paranormal stuff!
I saw Making a Murderer and it was pretty awesome. I started Confession Tapes too. Quite unnerving
Need to check out those podcasts. They sound pretty good.

Oh god, I have been BINGEING My Favorite Murder for the last two weeks straight; it was one of those ones I’d always meant to listen to but never quite got around to, and then after a couple of episodes I couldn’t STOP. I’m low-key mad/panicked that you’ve listed so many other true crime podcasts here, because I’m itching to download/subscribe to them all immediately, and my poor husband is already sick of me talking about all the ways people get murdered and asking him “hypothetical” questions about unsolved cases…

Hahahaha sorry not sorry?!! But same about significant others not getting the obsession. I forced my boyfriend to listen to a murder podcast about people who were killed by camping and now he can’t sleep when we go camping now 😬😬😬😬